Crown-style bottle caps are used by bottling companies to seal many types of glass bottles, especially beverages bottled under pressure, such as beer or soft drinks. The circular central body of the crown-style cap has a pressure-tight lining on the internal surface which is placed against the bottle neck opening. The outer crown is made up of corrugations which are bent down to form teeth which hold the cap firmly on to the rim of the bottleneck. A bottle-opener is necessary to open a bottle sealed with the classic crown-style cap.
Alternatively, some beverage containers are sealed with a twist-off style crown cap. The twist-off crown cap is made of a regular crown-cap placed around the rim of a bottle which is fitted with a threaded portion for unscrewing the cap. Although this arrangement purports to eliminate the need for a bottle-opener, it is not very comfortable to open by hand. The cap is fixed very firmly to the bottle in order to maintain the pressure of the liquid inside the bottle and to avoid the risk of leakage during handling. Consequently, a significant amount of force, which not everyone may possess, is needed to rotate the cap in order to open the bottle. This operation also carries the risk of injuring or cutting the hands due to the sharp edges of the teeth on the crown.
Aluminum cans are another widely used beverage container. The beverage can stay-on tab opening mechanism has been in common use since the 1980's. The stay on-tab mechanism uses a pull ring tab attached to the upper surface of the beverage container as a lever to depress a scored part of the lid, which folds underneath the top of the can and out of the way of the resulting opening. A drawback of the stay-on-tab opening mechanism is that the pull ring is positioned flat to the top of the beverage container and can be difficult to grasp and lift. This can be a particularly difficult problem in situations where a large number of cans must be opened such as at a party, event or at a restaurant or bar. The action of prying the pull ring upwardly from the top surface of the can may cause damage to the fingers, fingertips and fingernails. The stay-on tab arrangement creates a hardship for arthritis and carpal tunnel sufferers as well, who may not have the hand strength or dexterity necessary to raise and lift the tab.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is commonly thought to be an affliction of administrative assistants and others who spend massive amounts of time at a keyboard typing. But carpal tunnel syndrome has a much wider reach. People such as bartenders, who use their wrists often in their daily activities opening multiple bottles and cans, are just as likely to get carpal tunnel syndrome as someone who works at a keyboard all day.
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2004-164, work-related musculoskeletal disorders result from repetitive movements that are performed over time or for a long period of time, which may result in damage to muscles, tendons, nerves, ligaments, joints, cartilage, or blood vessels. Hand and wrist disorders include carpal tunnel syndrome and tendinitis. National data suggests that a large number of injuries known as musculoskeletal disorders are attributable to hand tool use in occupational settings, resulting in unnecessary suffering, lost workdays and economic costs.
Similarly, many people have difficulty opening both bottle and can beverage containers due to a weak grip and lack of hand strength caused by arthritis. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 50 million U.S. adults (about 1 in 5) report doctor-diagnosed arthritis. As the U.S. population ages, these numbers are expected to increase sharply. The number of adults with doctor-diagnosed arthritis is projected to increase to 67 million by 2030. Arthritis is the nation's most common cause of disability. Simple daily tasks and household chores are challenging to someone who has arthritis in their hands or fingers. Assistive devices can help.
Opening bottles and cans with bare hands has the potential to seriously damage palms, fingernails and joints. Therefore, what is needed is an improved opening device that is useful for opening beverage containers, one that reduces the force needed, fits the hand and can be used in a comfortable position.